Inseparable
by realornotreal123
Summary: Finnick and Annie become best friends, but slowly start to fall in love with each other. Things start to get complicated though as they grow older, but still their love remains unbreakable. Living in such a cruel world and dealing with things no person should have to deal with, they remain together, although there are a few bumps in the road that come along.
1. Chapter 1

Twelve year old Annie Cresta stood at the edge of the shore, the water just covering her feet when the gentle waves came in. She stared out at the orange hue that was cast upon the horizon, smiling slightly at how pretty it was.

She always took time to appreciate nature and the beauty of things; everything life had to offer. She thought she was maybe different because of that, thinking so in depth of things. But, she had always been like that.

It was the middle of September here in District four, but the seasons or months here didn't matter. The weather was always the same. Sunny and warm, the sun always beating down on her every time she stepped outside. It's not like she minded it since she didn't really go outside much, always staying in to help her mother and father with something.

Lost in her thoughts, Annie was so startled when she heard the voice behind her.

"Cresta?" she voice said, and Annie quickly turned around, tilting her head when she saw Finnick Odair standing there.

Just by looking at him, he made her nervous and intimidating. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was the most popular boy in their school. With his amazing looks, and charming personality, there wasn't a person in the school that didn't at least like him. Annie didn't know much about him though, and only had seen him around school a couple of times. She was surprised that he even knew her last name. He wasn't even in her grade. Annie was in 7th grade, and he was in 8th, but he was only a year older than her.

"Hi Odair," Annie said casually, pursing her lips and still feeling a nervous feeling in her stomach.

A smile played up upon his lips and he walked a bit closer to her, walking up so he was face to face with her now.

"I never see you around here. This your first time being to the beach or something?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No.. I mean, I just don't go much. I usually just um.. Stay inside," Annie said, but then wanted to smack herself for how pathetic that sounded. Annie wasn't the best at being social, and being around Finnick Odair made talking even worse.

"I've noticed. I mean, you're very pale," he said with a chuckle, slowly making his way up to the edge of the shore just where she was. She turned around and looked at the ocean again, and then glanced at him.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes and looking him over to see he had a nice tan on him, which she would probably never get, even if she tried. "And what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I always come out here. It's like my.. hide away, if you want to call it that," Finnick said with a shrug.

"What are you hiding from? Don't you have tons of friends you could be hanging out?" Annie asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked at her and shrugged.

"Maybe, but I'd rather be here," he said.

They looked at each other for a second, and Annie was starting to feel herself blush for some stupid reason, so she looked away, looking down at her feet which were buried a bit under the wet sand.  
"I can see why," she started. "It's very pretty, actually. I just don't go out here much because my parents are always keeping me under their watch and are making me do some kind've chores. The only reason I'm out here now if because.." Annie trailed off a bit, swallowing roughly and shaking her head.

"Because why?" Finnick asked, carefully as if not to push her to say anything which she didn't want to.

"They're getting a divorce," Annie shrugged a bit. "They haven't been getting along that well, but.. My dad is living somewhere else now. They just have to sign some papers and everything will be done," she said, her voice getting a bit quieter. Why was she telling a stranger this? Spilling the events of her personal life to a boy she didn't even know.

Finnick didn't say anything for a moment, because maybe he was thinking of something to say.

"I'm sorry, Annie," he said with a sigh, stepping closer to her. He suddenly put his hand on her shoulder and Annie looked up at him, facing him now.

"It's okay. I'm sure things will be fine in the long run," Annie said, looking up at him now since he was quite a bit taller than her.

"That's right. At least you're thinking about things positively," he said, nodding a bit, and smiling.

Annie didn't know what else to say, so she just looked at him. She bit her lip and looked down again, apparently too shy to make eye contact with him for more than a couple seconds.

"Yeah. Well, I think I better get going. It's getting dark out anyway," she said, glancing at him.

He chuckled, but she didn't know why.

"Alright, Cresta. See you around," he said with a smile.

"See ya, Odair," she said with a smile as well, biting the inside of her lip.

She turned around and started to walk away, looking down at the sand. Maybe she was too quick to judge Finnick Odair, because he really was a nice person and she liked him- just as a friend though, of course.


	2. Chapter 2

A month had past and had Annie adjusted to a new schedule. She would spend weekends with her Dad and weekdays with her Mom. She didn't like the adjustment at all. She missed both her parents being together in the same house. Love obviously never really lasted a lifetime. Anyone who said that was wrong, Annie thought. Two people can't possibly be together and love each other for a lifetime. It just didn't happen.

After talking to her that one day, Finnick Odair and her never saw each other after that. Only in school would she glance at him, and he wouldn't even pay attention to her. She should've known. No one that popular would ever be friends with her. She was an outcast; she didn't matter.

Annie never really went out to the beach anymore, only sometimes. There wasn't really a point in going if she didn't even know how to swim. No one had taught her anyway. Her parents never had enough time, or even cared enough. Annie though always thought the water was beautiful and fascinating. She wished she could swim and explore the whole different world of the sea.

On Sunday afternoon, her father had fallen asleep on the couch like he always did. Annie tiptoed downstairs and slowly but carefully opened the door and snuck out into the beautiful sunshine and fresh air. Annie made her way down to the beach since her house wasn't far from it. Eventually, she had reached the edge of the shore again, sighing contently and smiling since she hadn't been out here in so long. She looked around and frowned a bit, not knowing why she hoped to see Finnick out here.

Annie was wearing a skirt and a shirt, her usual dark curly hair falling over her shoulders. Annie bit her lip, taking a small step closer to the water. She put her feet in and walked a bit more out so that the cool ocean water was up to her knees now. Did she dare to go any further? What would happen if she did? Odds are things would be fine. She could just walk on the sand anyway. It's not like she would have to swim.

She walked up more, smiling a bit and getting her clothes all wet now as the water went up to her chest. The water felt great to her, cool against her skin. Annie took another step, and suddenly, she sunk under water. The sand floor of the ocean had dropped down dramatically and she couldn't find the bottom. She tried desperately to find something to hang onto, but she was sinking, sinking, struggling to get to the surface for breath. For one second, she reached the surface, taking a huge gulp of air, but the water quickly swallowed her again. _This is it, she thought._ She was done for. Her life was already going to be over just because of a stupid mistake.

Just as she was ready to give up, a pair of arms wrapped around her and slowly pulled her up to the surface. She couldn't open her eyes so she couldn't see who it was just yet. The person held onto her and with one arm, they made their way back to the shore. She opened her eyes just as he set her gently down on her back on the wet sand. Her eyes met his green ones for a second and she went into a coughing fit, having swallowed way too much sea water. She sat up and he patted her back as she coughed the water out, taking deep breaths and regaining her breath. She took a deep breath once it seemed like all the water was out, and then looked up at him.

Before she could even speak, Finnick pulled her into a tight hug and she held onto him, her breath shaking slightly as she clung to him, shivering as well. Tears were streaming down Annie's cheeks and she didn't know why. She was scared and still in shock. She started to sob into his chest, tightening her arms around him. She was hugging someone she didn't even know that well, but Finnick Odair had just saved her life and she was very grateful. Plus, she also wanted something, someone, to hold onto.

"It's alright.. Annie, it's okay.. I've got you. You're okay." His voice was so comforting and it relaxed her, making her calm down. She bit her lip and stopped crying after a moment.

"Th-Thank you," she stuttered out, her voice shaking still.

Finnick just shook his head, and slowly stood up, pulling her up with him gently.

"C'mon, you can come back to my house and we'll get you warm and fixed up, alright?" Finnick said with a nod.

Annie hesitated slightly before nodding, hoping her dad wouldn't wake before she got back.


	3. Chapter 3

Finnick walked her all the way back to his house which surprisingly she found that his house was pretty close to hers.

As Finnick opened the door, Annie nervously walked in with him and looked around. There was a woman standing there, chopping up some carrots. She had blue eyes and blondish hair. Her eyes looked up and when she saw both of them, she smiled. She put down the knife she was cutting with and walked forward.

"Hello," the woman said in a friendly voice, looking at Annie. Annie smiled nervously at her. "Finnick, who's your friend?" she asked, looking to Finnick.

"Mom, this is Annie. Annie Cresta. A friend from school," Finnick explained. "She's here because.." He trailed off slightly, looking over to Annie as if expecting her to finish the rest of the story.

"F-Finnick.. He saved me. I was in the ocean and I went to far and.. See, I don't know how to swim. I thought it was too late, but then he.. He saved me," Annie explained, her voice still shaking a bit as she shivered.

Finnick's mothers eyes widened.

"Well, goodness, Finnick, go get her some new clothes. She can probably wear something of Finnicks," she said, and then smiled kindly and Annie, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Poor thing. I'll make you some tea right away, okay?"

"Thank you.." Annie smiled a bit, and when she looked over at Finnick, he even looked a bit embarrassed.

He mumbled something under his breath and nodded, walking up the stairs with Annie walking closely behind. He led her to his room and to his closet, opening it and pulling out a plain blue shirt and some shorts.

"Thank you," she said, nodding a bit. "Bathroom?" she asked after a moment, pursing her lips.

Finnick pointed down the hallway and Annie nodded, walking down and to the bathroom. She quickly changed into his clothes, looking down at herself after. The dark blue shirt was a tiny bit baggy on her, but not much and the shorts were a bit baggy too. She just adjusted and tied the strings so it would be tight around her waist. She looked at herself in the mirror and tied her messy, wet hair back into a pony tail.

After, she slowly walked out of the bathroom and made her way to Finnick's room. She saw him sitting on the edge of his bed and he looked up. She walked a bit closer to him, folding her hands awkwardly in front of her since she felt a bit weird wearing his clothes.

"I just wanted to thank you again.. I'm really grateful," Annie said with a nod, smiling a bit.

Finnick shook his head and smiled a bit.

"It's honestly no problem. I'm just glad you're okay," he said with a nod.

Annie made her way a little bit closer to him and slowly took a seat on the edge of the bed next to you.

"Why.. Why do you care about me so much?" Annie asked suddenly, looking over at him and looking at him.

Finnick chuckled a bit and shrugged.

"I don't know. I just like you. You're nice, and shy and.. I don't know. There's just something about you," he said.

Annie blushed, her cheeks getting red, so she quickly looked down. After a moment, she looked back up at him.

"Well, thanks. I like you too," she said.

Finnick looked over at her and smiled. They looked at each other for a few seconds and Annie felt like a knot had twisted in her stomach. She was nervous, but the nice kind've nervous. She didn't even know why she was nervous in the first place. They were only friends and that was it. Obviously when he said he liked her, he had meant it as in a friendly way.

"Annie? Your tea is ready!" Finnick's mother called from downstairs.

Annie stood up, and so did Finnick. They both walked downstairs as Finnick's mother set a cup of tea on the table.

"I know I've said this a lot today, but thank you Mrs. Odair," Annie said with a small smile, walking over to the table.

"You can call me Chloe, sweetie," Chloe said.

Annie felt like this was her family just as much as her real family was, maybe even more. She felt closer to Finnick even though they didn't really know each other still that well.

About a half an hour later when Annie was done with her tea, she stood up from the table.

"I better get going now," she said with a nod, looking at Finnick and then at Chloe. "Thank you, Mrs. Od- I mean, Chloe." Annie looked over at Finnick and he looked at her.

"Want me to walk you home?" He asked.

Annie nodded a bit, and walked out the door with him. They started to walk down the beach again, both of them looking down and not saying anything until Annie spoke up.

"Um.. Sorry for taking your clothes. I'll give them back, you know, sometime," she said.

He chuckled a bit, shaking his head.

"It's alright, Cresta," was all he said.

Suddenly, Finnick reached over and took Annie's hand, intertwining their fingers together. Annie blushed deeply, looking over at him and looking like she was about to say something, but she didn't. She liked holding hands with him, it making her feel even more comforted than before.

They walked the rest of the way to Annie's house in silence. When they reached their destination, Annie let go of Finnick's hand. He pulled her in for a hug and Annie hugged him back, sighing a bit.

He let go of her after a moment and waved goodbye, starting to walk away. Annie watched him for a moment before turning around and quietly opening the door to her house. Once she got in, she looked to the couch and didn't see her father sleeping. Her heart began to beat faster in her chest and she looked around.

Suddenly, she heard him stomping down the stairs, looking angry when he saw Annie.

"Where the hell have you been?" Her father spat angrily, taking her by the wrist and yanking her foreword.

Annie shrieked a bit, trying to get him to let go since she was scared. Her father had never been like this before, and the cold look in his eyes scared he even more.

"I just.. I went out to the beach," she stuttered.

"Why are you wearing different clothes?" He asked, his voice having a sharp edge to it.

Her father towered over her, his dark hair looking messy and tattered.

"I.. I.." Annie stuttered out, not being able to find the words. She didn't want to tell him what had happened, he would just get even more angry.

"Don't ever leave this house again without permission! You hear me?" He yelled.

"I just went to the beach!" She yelled back at him.

He looked at her for a moment and let go of her wrist, bringing that hand back and smacking her hard across the face with it.

Annie held her cheek, not being able to believe what he had just done. Her father had always been so kind. She didn't understand. Maybe it was because of the divorce, but either way, she was in a state of shock.

Tears started to stream down her pale cheeks and she let out a sob, still holding onto her cheek as she ran up the stairs. She went into her room and locked the door behind her, hoping that he would never come near her again.


	4. Chapter 4

Life went on for Annie, and weeks past. Her father had become an alcoholic, and almost every night, he would drown his sorrows and sadness in alcohol. Her father hit her more times; more than just once. He only hit her when he was drunk, she noticed, but when wasn't he drunk? The divorce had obviously hit him hard, and taken an awful toll on him. A toll that didn't even make him a father anymore. Annie didn't think of him as a father, at least. She knew she shouldn't hate him, but she really did.

On those terrible weekends, she would sneak out and go to the beach. Now, he was too drunk to even care anymore or notice. Sometimes Finnick would be out there, and she would talk to him, their friendship growing stronger and stronger as the days went on. He had been teaching her how to swim recently and as the days went on, she had gotten better at it and was growing rather fond of the water.

Annie didn't want to be there anymore, but she didn't have the courage to tell anyone. Finnick knew though. He saw the marks on her, and one time, he spoke up about it but Annie didn't want to talk and quickly changed the subject. She knew that he knew what was going on, but it seemed that both of them were just avoiding the subject.

Her father would be horribly angry if he found out she told anyone. The only times she was happy is when she was happy and when she was with her mother. Her mother was an emotional wreck, but still, her mother treated her with kindness, unlike her father. It was like her mother didn't even pay attention to her though as the days went on; she never even noticed the marks on Annie's arms or face. Annie usually hid the ones on her arms with long sleeves, but still, the ones on her face were visible.

School had ended about a week ago, and Annie was happy about that at least. Finnick and her would have more time to see each other.

It was the middle of June and today was Annie's birthday. Usually anyone would be happy about their birthday, but not here in Panem.

One more year of life equalled one more time her name would be put into the reaping bowl. Two times she was in there now.

She didn't spend her day any different either. Her mother had baked her a small cupcake, but that was it. She was grateful for even that though.

Then, in the middle of the day, she went down to the beach and a smile appeared on her face when she saw Finnick there.

He turned around and looked at her since he had heard footsteps, and he too smiled at her.

She took a seat next to him.

"Hi," Annie said, looking over at him.

"Hi," Finnick said, looking back at her.

He took something out from his pocket, and gave it to her.

"Happy birthday, by the way, Cresta," he said.

She looked at it in her palm. It was a small bracelet. It had small seashells on it, and it was blue; the color of the ocean.

Annie smiled, and slipped it on her wrist. She almost teared up even, which was stupid, but it just made her so happy. This was the only present she had gotten from anyone.

"You remembered," she said, looking down at her wrist.

"Of course I did. How could I forget? I remember almost everything you tell me," he said, his voice gentle.

She smiled slightly.

"I'm as old as you now," she said.

"Not for long. My birthday is just next month. Nice try, though," he said with a small chuckle, and Annie laughed a bit too.

Annie stared at him before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, Finnick. So much," she said quietly, her voice breaking and tears falling down from her eyes and onto his shirt. She had been going through such hard times lately, and now she was just sort've loosing it. Maybe it was stupid to cry, but he was the only one really there for her.

"It's just a bracelet, An-" But then he stopped himself, and just nodded. "You're welcome, Annie." He kept his arms tightly around her and he slowly ran his hand up and down her back, the feeling calming her down.

She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder and just continuing to be held in his embrace. She felt better with his arms around her, and she never wanted to let go.


End file.
